First Star

The NHL just announced their stars of the month for January. And a Capital’s in the top three again.

Braden Holtby was named the NHL’s second star in both November and December. Now Evgeny Kuznetsov has been named the first star of January after scoring 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 10 games. During the first month of 2016, Kuznetsov ranked second in the NHL in points. He also leads the Caps overall with 49.

It’s Monday, which means it’s time for the NHL’s Stars of the Week. Braden Holtby, the best goalie in the league, is normally honored with these things. Not this week. Instead, the honor goes to Alex Ovechkin, who on was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week after scoring his 498th, 499th, 500th, and 501st goals in just over 24 hours. Ovechkin has done all of this in a league where scoring continues to go down. He now leads the league with 26 goals. It’s amazing.

“To get 500 in this league with how everybody playing, the goalies, it’s pretty cool,” Ovechkin said after the game Sunday.